2016 is very strong in St Julien, with more than a handful of the top Châteaux producing hugely impressive wines. One of the great success stories is Château Léoville Poyferré, which has released today at £399.00 per 6 IB.

Didier Cuvelier described a turning point in June. ”After months of rain comes the sun. This rang true on June 21st, the first day of the summer. Suddenly as if by magic, the sun shone brightly and continued until harvest.”

This 2016 combines the lusciousness of the 2009 with the balance and intensity of the 2010 and has a remarkable length all its own. It is quite a powerful wine at this stage of its evolution, yet has a seduction and elegance on the palate that quite clearly mark this out as of one their greatest vintages.

The release price is considerably below current market value for the 2009 (£1,800) and the 2010 (£1,100). This is one of our recommended wines of the vintage and I urge you to consider adding this to your cellar.

Shining purple colour, this has extravagant aromas of dark chocolate and Moroccan spice. In the palate it is beautifully layered with the 33% Merlot in the blend creating a mouth-coating texture. A very layered wine, with lovely sweet intensity. Flamboyant but poised and polished, this will give great pleasure. Drink 2024-2035. 95-96 points, Goedhuis & Co

The 2016 Leoville-Poyferre has a typical bouquet for this estate with opulent but neatly controlled, billowing scents of black cherries, black plum, crème de cassis and violets. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine tannin, a killer line of acidity and perhaps one of the most harmonious Poyferré that I have encountered at this juncture. It just glides across the mouth and slips down the throat with consummate ease. Superb. Drink Date 2024 – 2060. 95-97 points, Neil Martin

The buildup on the palate is impressive with blackberry and blueberry character. Plenty of currants, too. Full-bodied, linear and tight. Racy tannins and a long finish. Shows tension, depth, real raciness and pure finesse. A combination of the best from both 2009 and 2010. 95-96 points, James Suckling

A huge, soaring wine, the 2016 Léoville-Poyferré is powerful, vivid and captivating. Vertical tannins and massive concentration belie the wine’s 13.6% alcohol. The more virile, brooding side of Saint-Julien comes through in this decidedly potent wine. In 2016, many Saint-Juliens possess incredible richness and voluptuousness. Léoville-Poyferré is arguably the most tannic and brooding of the wines of the appellation. I suspect the 2016 will take many years to be at its very best. A rush of dark fruit, leather, smoke, tobacco and chocolate add the final shades of nuance. 94-97 points, Antonio Galloni

A stunning wine made from a ‘sunny vintage with cold nights’, Didier Cuvelier also explained that, ‘2016 is like 2005 and 2010, but different’. I love this description because it is spot on in so many ways. This is a suave Poyferré with epic tannins and masses of life. The counterbalance between freshness and intensity is thrilling and the fruit is briary and lively and not stewed or porty. Amazing throughout, this is a succulent refreshing, focussed and dynamic wine. Didier finished by saying that 2016 was a ‘miracle vintage because the rains filled the water table, missed flowering and refreshed the vines before harvest’. A miracle indeed. 18.5+ points, Matthew Jukes

More than half of the production went into the Grand Vin in 2016, and the quality of the wine more than justifies it. Lively, perky and refreshing, it’s the best Léoville-Poyferré since 2010, with plenty of structure, granular tannins, smoky oak and a core of crunch, dark berry fruit. 2026-36. 95 points, Tim Atkin